Oasis of Eden by Genella deGrey

and pulled out a pair of gold wrist cuffs, roped edges and a winged sun decorating each one.
    Jade held her fist high in the air and yanked a ruffled cuff down her arm, revealing one of the bracelets she’d gotten from Dr. Harper’s find.
    A masculine intake of air caused her to glance at the entrance to Ageit’s tent. Eli stood just inside, staring at her wrist. Shame washed over her, an emotion she thought she’d left behind as a young girl. Jade lowered her arm.
    “I’ll go and prepare the doorway,” Ageit said quietly and then ducked into the next room.
    She turned to face Eli.
    “Is this true? You really aren’t from Eden?”
    “I know I’m not.” Jade drew her bottom lip between her teeth. What would he think of her now?
    “That’s why we couldn’t find—”
    “My camp. Yes.”
    “But how? When?”
    “It must have happened that first night I came to Omari Amun. And I’m still unclear as to how it transpired. I knew things were screwy, but I didn’t know to what extent.” She wrapped her arms around herself, searching for some sort of comfort. “And Ageit just mentioned that his artifacts were askew. That must be why I landed in the middle of the desert and didn’t enter through his tent in the first place,” she murmured, mostly to herself.
    He fell silent, and the guilt shook her to the core. “Eli, I’m sorry. Had I known—”
    “Don’t.” He took a step toward her.
    She moved to close the distance but stopped about a foot short of him. Neither of them attempted an embrace, even though Jade’s body practically cried out for him to hold her in his strong arms.
    Finally, he broke the awkward silence. “I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
    Jade shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. You didn’t hurt me, not remotely.”
    “But you said you don’t consummate…and I—”
    “I’ll be fine, Eli. Truly.” She had no idea how to reassure him of this—or herself, for that matter.
    He nodded, and his gaze lowered to the carpeted floor of the tent. The silence thickened between them once again. Oh, Poolie, what a mess . In her wildest fantasies, she’d never thought she’d have sex with an alien from another planet. It was enough to give her the heebie-jeebies for a good ten years. But now, as said alien stood before her, it didn’t seem to matter to her all that much. Of course, what he thought of her was a different matter all together.
    She startled when he finally spoke.
    “I guess this is the reason I didn’t know what you were saying half the time.”
    Jade laughed or sobbed or something. She felt tears coming on, but she refused to shed them.
     
    “Jade, listen—”
    “I have some thinking to do, you don’t mind if I scram for a while, do you?”
    He wanted so badly to be there for her, but she was likely to refuse. He’d have to give her the space she’d requested for now. “N-no. Not at all. Please use my tent. I will give you your privacy.”
    Jade nodded and headed in the direction of his tent.
    Elydian ran a hand through his hair. What must she be going through? He couldn’t imagine how he’d handle the news Jade had received tonight. The need to protect her nearly overwhelmed him.
    For the first time in his life, he’d lost his enthusiasm to watch the moons. Determined to give Jade a full night and day to process her plight, he sat down, intending to stay in Ageit’s tent until the following evening when he made the announcement of his choice for the games for the Omari-Nah Champion Competition.
    Elydian looked up as Ageit entered. “Are you two ready to see the doorway?”
    “I’m afraid that will have to wait for a more fortuitous occasion.” He hadn’t meant to be cryptic, but he didn’t have the strength to let Ageit in on Jade’s secret. Besides, that was her decision to make as to who knew and who didn’t.
    “Oh, very well then. Perhaps another time.” Ageit seemed crest-fallen.
    “Are you up for a guest for one night, my friend?”
    “Did you